PPA National Convention - Denver - mid 90s?

by Skip Cohen

It's Throwback Thursday, and you never know what I might pull out of my stash. In this case, it's thanks to good buddy Jim Morton, who found this one recently and sent it my way. But the genuine fun of throwbacks is in the smiles they bring back - and no two guys do it better than Clay Blackmore and Calvin Hayes.

Our friendship started in my Hasselblad days, when I joined the company in 1987...and they've continued right up to a few minutes ago when I called Clay needing help on when this shot was taken. And Calvin, I just talked to a few weeks ago. The pandemic may have slowed us all down from physically being together, but thanks to social media and the phone - nothing stops the ability to connect.

This was at the PPA National Convention before it was called IUSA. It was held in Denver that year, and PPA was financially going through some difficult times.* Fortunately for all of us, they survived and became even stronger in the years to come. Now they're a continual partner in support for so many photographers in the industry. Next year's convention is in Nashville, January 22-24. Just click on the banner to the right for more information. 

Throwback Thursday memories are like one big vitamin boost for your soul. Okay, so that's a little over the top, but at a time when we're all feeling the stress of the last couple of years and working on getting back to normal, throwback images bring back memories. And most often, those looks in the rearview mirror come with plenty of smiles and always great backstories!

So, take the time today and find a few old photographs and videos...and whether you share them or not, savor them and then think about the new memories you're going to make in the future!

* UPDATE: Thanks to my pal Claude Jodoin - we got the date - 1994...and along with it a little more color - it was the year Forest Gump was released!